I'm about to try re-painting two cars, and I've never done it before. I'm fairly confident that I can do a decent job, and I've read the FAQ. I've been searching, and doing some research but always find various answers regarding the actual process, and quality products. I wanted to make sure, before I get started, that I have the steps down right, I'm clear, and didn't miss anything that is really important.

The first car I'm going to paint is just going to be a re-spray of Milano red. I'm planning on going BC/CC. I'm going to sand and scuff the original paint with 400-600 before I spray.

My first question is do I sand off the clear completely, to the red paint, or do I just scuff the clear? Also, for dings and dents here and there (nothing major), should I use a body filler, then sealer, then sand it to make it smooth; or should I use a filler primer instead of a body filler, sealer, then sand smooth?

After the prep, I planned on 2-3 coats of paint, wet sand, then 2 coats of clear, wet sand, another coat of clear, wet sand, then buff. Is this the right procedure? Should I wet sand the last coat of clear or should I just buff? Also, about how much paint do you think I would need for this job? I've searched and got various answers ranging from 2 quarts to a whole gallon. I just need enough to do 2-3 coats on the exterior, and I was thinking about re-spraying the bay if I had enough left over.

The next car is going to be a full color change. It was re-painted once over the oem color, and it wasn't a very good job. I'm not even sure if it was auto paint, or something like a rattle can job. I planned on sanding the whole car down to the oem primer, and smoothing everything out, then spraying it FBP. There are also a few spots of rust that I will have to take it down to the metal, and re-prime. Should I re-prime the whole car, or should I just re-prime the spots that will be bare metal, smooth it all out, then seal it before paint? Do I wet sand before and after sealer? Also, because I'm planning on doing a full color change, all jambs and the bay, about how much paint would I need?

I'm also having a hard time determining what kind of products to get. There is a Sherwin Williams near by that I was thinking about checking out. Does Sherwin Williams make quality auto paints, or should I just search for a PPG dealer? Do I have to get a clear made by the same maker as the paint, or could I go with a different company clear coat? I'm pretty sure that it's a good idea to get primer, and sealer that is made by the same company as the paint but is it okay to go with a different company clear? What I mean is, if I get the paint mixed at Sherwins, what would be a really good quality clear coat (that isn't insanely expensive) that would make both paint jobs look good. If Sherwins isn't very good, any advice regarding a certain type of primer filler, sealer, Base coat line, and a good quality clear from another company would be very much appreciated.

I'm also wondering what type of buffer I should use (so much out there....)? I haven't bought a gun yet either. Can someone point me in the right direction, lol? I'm not planning on painting often, and this is not going to be a trade. I may end up doing this again some day if it comes out good, but I don't need a professional quality gun. Just looking for something that is easy to use, can adjust the PSI on the gun, and doesn't cost an insane amount. Which brings me to another question, about how much PSI should I be using to spray, or will it say on the directions of the products being sprayed?

Sorry about all of the Q's, my mind has been racing thinking about doing this in the next month and I realized theres so much I don't understand. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

i with dents if they are really small you can use blaze glaze then FEATHER EDGE the filler spots. prime the filler areas. all you have to do is scuff the entire car then i would use a 2K sealer then i would base then clear. No need to wet sand in between coats of base unless you have a run in the base.Then clear then when its done wet sand the car and buff.

3qts of paint and a lil more for clear


car 2

where you take it down to bare metal you are goin to have to prime the area then wet sand thoes spots so they are smooth. Then i would seal the entire car, no need to wetsand there unless runs again. Then i would base coat clear coat. a gallon of paint should be enough to do everything then .75 gallons of clear.

with paint its to each his own. i only use PPG products and have never had a problem, and most dealers will want you to use there products over there products. i know PPG tells you not to mix there products with other products, and my PPG trainer said this many times as well. if i missed anyting i know impacient or precesion will chime in

 

Thanks for the reply. I think I'm going to go ahead and try to track down a PPG distributor near by. If I go with PPG, is there a certain line that you would recomend, any advice on what kind of PPG clear to go with? Again, I'm wanting to get a good quality clear that is going to make the Base coat shine really well and have a good finish that will last. Something that is really good quality, but not ridiculously expensive. Is there a buffing compound/compounds you would recomend as well?

Are these numbers before or after reducing?

Also, just so I'm clear, with the little dents that I'm going to want to fill, I have to take it down to metal in order to use something like Blaze Glaze, then prime over it, seal, then I can apply the base; as opposed to just applying the blaze glaze directly on the already painted surface to fill...correct? Thanks for the reply and the help.

 

you want to put filler on BARE metal so you need to grind down to bare metal so the filler will bite into the metal and hold.


i would go with thoes numbers since i dont know how the paint will cover over the sealer. so yes thoes numbers are NOT reduced yet.


for PPG global and deltron are the TOP 2 and they are more expensive. then shop line then omni. it all depends on how much you really wanna put down on the supplys. best bet would be talk to the ppl at your local paint shop and they will recommend you something that would be best for your price range

 

Thanks a lot man, I appreciate all the help. I'll feel better now going in to purchase paint knowing what I'm looking for exactly, and how to go about doing it.